Mechanical memory



Dec. 25, 1962 Filed May 11, 1961 J. RABINOW MECHANICAL MEMORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 25, 1962 J. RABINOW MECHANICAL MEMORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 11, 1961 INVENTOR Jacob lYaZz'Ztaw BY ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,979,213 Patented Dec. 25, 1962 3,070,213 MECHANIQAL MEMORY Jacob Rabinow, Talroma Park, Md, assignor to Rabinow Engineering (10., Inc, Takoma Park, Md. Filed May 11, 1961, Ser. No. 199,296 13 fillaims. (Cl. 198-38) This invention relates to memory devices and particularly to devices which temporarily store and use coded information.

There are many disclosures in the prior art which describe machines relying on mechanical coding to program machine operation. For example, the J. Rabinow et al. Patent No. 2,901,089 discloses a sorting machine with an escort code for each article-supporting pocket. My present invention improves some of the features of such a machine, although the principles of my invention are not limited to sorting machines.

The general object of my invention is to provide a mechanical memory which may be integrally constructed as the programming device of a machine, or which may be constructed as a separate (remote) unit to control one or more machines.

The J. Rabinow ct al. patent discloses a sorting machine which is programmed as articles are fed into it. The program device has a movable code composed of a shaft provided with a number of code wheels for each article pocket. The wheels are adjustable to selected binary positions by a group of solenoids and yokes.

A specific object of my invention is to provide a new way of adjusting the code wheels in the sorting machine disclosed in the I. Rabinow patent or in any other sorting machine which relies on adjustable code wheels or the like to program the machine. An important feature of my new code wheel adjusting means is that it is simpler than prior code wheel adjusting devices, considerably more inexpensive, and yet, is reliable. This comparison applies not only to the J. Rabinow et al. patent code wheel setting features and devices, but also to the I. Rabinow et al, rotary code wheel setter disclosed in pending application U.S. Serial No. 31,383.

Another object of my invention is to provide a remote memory for storing information which is useful to control the operation of one or more machines or machine functions, where the characteristic feature of the memory is in the improved means for setting the code in the memory.

Other objects and features of importance will become apparent in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention which is given by way of example only.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top view showing a portion of the mechanical memory and particularly the means for adjusting selected code wheels as they are translated in their normal path of travel.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, with structural features in the background omitted for clarity of the drawing.

FIGURE 3 is a ide elevational view of the mechanical memory showing that it may be constructed as a remote device independent of the machine which it controls, except for means to keep the remote mechanical memory phased with the machine, and other means to transmit the intelligence to the memory to control the machine functions.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing a portion of the code wheel adjusting feature.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary setcional view showing a typical code wheel on its shaft in one position, and the same wheel in dotted lines after it has beenadjusted to its new position by my adjusting means shown best in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4.

In the accompanying drawings FIGURE 3 shows a remote mechanical memory 10 adapted to control the operation of machines or equipment (not shown), for example a sorting machine. Mechanical memory 10 is composed of a frame 12 supporting a pair of parallel shafts 14 and 15 having pairs of sprockets around which two endless conveyor chains 16 and 18 are entrained. Shaft 14 has a power input drive sprocket 2% or the like to turn shaft 14 and thereby cause both conveyor chains 16 and 18 to move in unison. The movement of drive sprocket 20 is synchronized with the machine which memory device 10 services. To schematically show this I have illustrated sprocket 19 which is assumed to be a part of, or to otherwise rotate at a speed proportional to the controlled machine. Sprockets 19 and 20 are coupled by a chain 21.

The immediately following description relates principally to the movable code means and stationary code means which correspond to similar movable and stationary code means in the J. Rabinow et al. patent. Frame 12 has a transverse wall 13 (FIGURES 1-3) supporting the stationary code means, for instance a group of code bars 22, '23, 24, etc. (FIGURE 1), which may be identical to the corresponding code bars in the above I. Rabinow patent. The code bars need not be the same as in the Rabinow et al. patent; they may be simple plastic or metal bars attached to wall 13 and so spaced as to define slots therebetween. Cam track 26 is secured to wall 13 of frame 12 alongside of the group of code bars 22, 23, 24, etc. The cam track has dwell 27 at the position where the movable code means (to be described in detail later) interrogates a given transverse group of code bars. It is understood that there will be a number of groups of code bars and one cam dwell 27 for each group to establish successive stations at which the movable code means interrogate or sample the arrangement of code bars to determine whether the movable and stationary codes match or mis-match.

The movable code means 28, being similar or identical to the corresponding movable code means in the I. Rabinow patent, are translated in a constrained path by being attached to spindle 39 (FIGURE 1) secured to both chains 16 and 18, and spanning the code bars and cam track. The movable code means 28 consists of a shaft 32 on which a group of code wheels or elements 34, 3-5, 36, etc., are adjustably mounted for axial shifting to a selected one of two alternative positions (FIGURE 5). There are means, for example garter spring 37 held captive in an annular groove in the hub of the code wheel, for automatically retaining the code wheel in its selected position. Shaft 32 is connected to spindle 30 by a pair of swinging arms ed and 42 attached respectively to the spindle 3t) and shaft 32. Cam follower 44 is mounted for rotation on shaft 32 near one of its ends, and it rides on cam track 26. Thus, when the assembly consisting of spindle 30, arms 41) and 4-2, shaft 32 and the code wheels, is translated by the movement of conveyor chains 16, 18, the cam follower 44 on its ca-m track will retain the code wheels in an elevated position lightly contacting cal signal may be triggered, for instance by operation of switch 48 having a switch arm 49 located adjacent to the dwell 27 in the cam 26. The end of the switch operating arm 49 is lower than the upper surface of cam track 26. A wheel 50 or the like is carried by shaft 32 above the end of switch arm 49. Thus, if the codes fail to match, shaft 32 remains in a single horizontal plane above switch operator 49. However, if the codes match, the code wheels, shaft 32 and particularly the wheel 50, will be gravity lowered at the dwell 27 of the cam. In lowering, the end of the switch operating arm 49 will be in the path of travel of the wheel 50 so that the switch 48 is actuated. The leads 51 attached to switch 48 may be connected with any suitable circuitry to control a remotely located machine or a machine of which the memory 10 is a part.

Attention is now drawn to one of the main features of my invention namely, a mechanism for adjusting the code wheels to selected positions (FIGURE in order to set up a given code. For the purposes of this application it is assumed that the code wheels will be reset by a resetting device (not shown) before they reach the wheel setting device shown at the left of FIGURE 1. The resetter may be constructed as I have disclosed in my prior patent or in pending application Serial No. 31,383. Thus, when the movable code means 28 reaches the position shown in FIGURE 1, all wheels 34, 35, 36, etc., will be in a given position, for instance as shown in full lines in FIG- URE 5. Certain of the wheels will be adjusted to the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 5 depending on the particular code which is desired for a given movable code device 28. The wheels are set by tilting selected plates in the form of discs 53, 54, 55, etc., there being a single disc for each code wheel 34, 35, 36, etc. To select which wheel is to be set or permitted to remain in its original position on shaft 32, a selected solenoid 53a, 54a, or 55a, etc. (FIGURE 4) is energized. There is one solenoid for each disc, although I have shown only three in FIGURE 4. As I show in FIGURE 2, during a part of the normal travel of the movable code means 28, the wheels on shaft 32 will be located alongside of the group of discs, and at that moment, the selected discs are tilted. Those which are to be tilted in accordance with the code to be established, push the wheels (FIGURE 5) from one position to the next. The structural arrangement and necessary synchronization between the wheel setting mechanish and the movable code means is described below.

The discs 53, 54, 55, etc., are mounted loosely on a spline shaft 56 (FIGURE 2) so that the shaft rotates the discs but yet, the discs can be tilted on the shaft. Yielding means retain all discs in planes perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of spline shaft 56. The yielding means for each disc include a spring 60 on spline shaft 56 with one end bearing against one face of its disc. The other end of the spring bears against a stop collar 63 which is seceured to the spline shaft. Thus, when the disc is tilted, the spring 60 is compressed against one stop collar 63 (see FIGURE 1) while the disc fulcrums about an edge of an adjacent stop collar.

The drive mechanism between the solenoids and the discs to tilt the discs is shown best in FIGURES 2 and 4. The solenoid 53a has a push rod 74 attached to its armature and bearing against one end of an operating rocker 76. Alternatively, the push rod may extend through a hole in rocker 76 and have spaced stops attached to the rod and located on opposite sides of the rocker. This will establish a push-pull connection. A nylon pad or the like may be at the end of the push rod '74 to bear against the rocker, although this is optional. Rocker 76 is secured to a hollow shaft 80 which is mounted for oscillation on a spindle 82 whose lower end is attached to the bottom of frame 12. An arm 81 is secured to hollow shaft 80 and extends behind the disc which it operates. There is a wear pad 82 on arm 81 contacting a face of the disc. Accordingly, when one of the solenoids is actuated, the push rod connected with the solenoid oscillates hollow shaft and causes arm 81 to bear against one face of its disc and tilt the disc. The spring associated with the tilted disc compresses during the tilting movement of the disc, so that when the solenoid is de-energized the arms 81 and 76 together with the hollow shaft 80 supporting them, return to the initial position. The return motion for shaft 80 can be obtained by the solenoid or its spring when a push-pull connection is used between push rod 74 and rocker 76. Each solenoid and disc has a similar mechanism for tilting the disc in response to solenoid actuation. For instance, solenoid 54a (FIGURE 4) has push red 7412 contacting rocker 76a which projects laterally from hollow shaft 80a. Arm 81a on hollow shaft 80a has its pad 82a in contact with a face of disc 54. Thus, disc 54 is tilted in response to operation of solenoid 54a. Disc 55 is operated similarly by solenoid 55a, through its push rod 74b, rocker 76b, hollow shaft 8%, arm 81b and pad 82b.

The discs have peripheral notches (see FIGURE 2) within which shaft 32 becomes nested as the movable code device 28 travels in its normal course. The purpose of this is to have a considerable area of the disc alongside of a face of one of the wheels at the instant that the disc is tilted to adjust a wheel. Thus, it is required that the discs 53, 54, 55, etc. be rotated in phase with the movement of the movable code device 28. The phasing may be obtained in many ways, a simple one being by relying on a chain-sprocket drive (FIGURES l and 3) operated from shaft 14. The chain-sprocket drive con sists of an endless chain 92 entrained around sprockets 94 and 96 and engaging sprocket 98. The sprocket 98 is at the end of spline shaft 56. Sprocket 94 is attached to shaft 14, and sprocket 96 is merely an idler suitably mounted on a spindle 99 secured to frame 12. Accordingly, shaft 56 turns at a speed calculated to assure that one of the notches 90 in each disc will receive the shaft 32 (FIGURE 2) as the movable code means 28 is driven to the position shown in FIGURE 2.

Summarizing the operation, spline shaft 56 is rotated in phase with the movement of the movable code means 28 so that there will be a time when shaft 32 is nested within one notch 90 of each disc 53, 54, 55, etc. At this time, certain (or all) of the solenoids 53a, 540, etc. are energized to cause the corresponding discs to tilt, thereby adjusting the preselected wheels (FIGURE 5) to the second of two possible positions on shaft 32. The selection of solenoids may be made by hand, e.g. by key operation of a keyboard console or by other means such as a reading machine or a buffer. Regardless of the source of intelligence to select solenoids, the resulting operation of preselected solenoids (while others of the group are not operated) will set up a code of wheels on shaft 32 which uniquely matches a stationary code, i.e. one group of code bars, as fully described in the Rabinow et al. patent.

The preceding description of one form of my invention is given by way of example only. There are many modifications which may be made without departing from the inventive concept, and many refinements which will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. For instance, I have shown my wheel setting mechanism at one end of the conveyor system for the movable code means. It may be located elsewhere such as above or below the code bars and intermediate the front and rear shafts 14, 15. When located at the end, as shown, cam 26 will be a re-entrant cam to prevent arms 40 and 42 from simply swinging downward by gravity when the end of the code bar assembly is reached. Other such changes falling within the scope of the following claims may be resorted to.

I claim:

1. In a mechanical memory having stationary code means, movable code means cooperable with said stationary code means and providing an output when the code means match, said movable code means including a shaft, a group of wheels mounted on said shaft, each wheel being adjustable to one of a possible pair of positions,

means for moving said shaft and the wheels thereon as a unit in a predetermined path of travel to enable said wheels to interrogate said stationary code means, the improvement comprising means to adjust selected wheels while said shaft and its wheels are in said predetermined path of travel, said adjusting means including a support adjacent to said shaft and Wheels, a plurality of members mounted on said support and interleaved with the wheels of a group as said group passes said support, means to tilt at least one of said members while said members are interleaved with said wheels and thereby adjust the corresponding wheel on its shaft, and means to rotate said members in phase with the movement of said wheels and shaft group in said path of travel.

2. The mechanical memory of claim 1 wherein said means to rotate said members in phase with the movement of said shaft and wheels in said path of travel include means to rotate said support in phase with said group, and means coupling said members to said support for rotation therewith.

3. The mechanical memory of claim 2 wherein said members are discs provided with peripheral notches into which said shaft nests during a portion of the path of travel of said shaft so that copious areas of the wheels and faces of the discs are laterally adjacent at the time that selected discs are tilted to adjust the wheels on their shaft.

4. The mechanical memory of claim 3 and resilient means reacting on said discs and opposing the tilting movement of said discs, and said resilient means returning said discs after said tilting, to an initial position on said support.

5. In a mechanical memory having a plurality of wheels whose positions are adjustable to establish selected codes, means to propel said wheels as a group through a constrained path of travel, the improvement comprising tilting means having members to adjust the positions of selected wheels while the wheels are being moved as a group, and means for rotating said members in coordination with the motion of the group of wheels.

6. A mechanical memory to control the functions of a remotely located machine, said memory including a frame, first code means connected to said frame, second code means movable with respect to said first code means, said second code means having a plurality of wheels which are adjustable to one of a plurality of possible positions, said wheels adapted to interrogate said first code means and produce a mechanical displacement upon coincidence of the wheels with said first code means, means responsive to said displacement for producing an output adapted to be applied to the remote machine, a rotary support connected with said frame, a plurality of members, means coupling said members to said rotary support for rotation therewith and for tilting movement, selectively operable means to tilt selected members and thereby adjust corresponding selected wheels to one of said positions thereby establishing the code of said movable code means, and means connected with said support and with said means for moving said movable code means so that the rotation of said members is synchronized with the movement of said movable code means.

7. The memory of claim 6 and power input means connected with said movable code means and adapted to be connected with the remote machine so that the displace ment of said movable code means is synchronized with the machine to be controlled and so that the rotation of said support is also indirectly synchronized with the remote machine.

8. The subject matter of claim 6 wherein said members are interleaved with said wheels at the time that said members are tilted to adjust said wheels.

9. The subject matter of claim 8 wherein said members are discs provided with peripheral notches, and said mov able code means includes a shaft on which said wheels are supported for said adjustment, and said shaft becoming nested within said notches during a portion of the travel of said movable code means at which at least one selected disc may be tilted to adjust a code wheel on its shaft.

10. The subject matter of claim 9 wherein there are resilient means to return the tilted disc to an initial position after it has adjusted the code Wheel on said shaft.

11. In a mechanical memory which has a plurality of code elements which are adapted to be adjusted positionally to establish a code, the improvement comprising a code element-setting device to adjust at least one of said code elements, said setting device comprising a support, a plurality of members, means to rotate said support, means coupling said members to said support for rotation therewith and for tilting movement to displace said members while they are being rotated, abutment means operatively associated with each member, and selectively operable means associated with each abutment means for displacing said abutment means and thereby tilting a selected member to cause the selected member to move a corresponding selected code element to its adjusted position.

12. The subject matter of claim 11 wherein said members are discs and said code elements are wheels, a shaft on which said wheels are supported for adjustment to said one of a plurality of positions, and means to move said shaft and its Wheels as a unit in a constrained path of travel during a portion of which said wheels become interleaved with said discs so that a portion of the face of each disc is available to bear against a face of its Wheel and adjust the position of the wheel in response to tilting movement of the disc.

13. In a mechanical code assembly having stationary code means and movable code means cooperable with said stationary code means, where said movable means include a shaft having a plurality of code elements on said shaft which are adjustable to selected positions to establish a code, means for moving said shaft and said elements as a group in a predetermined path to interrogate said stationary code means, means to adjust said elements during a portion of their movement, said adjusting means including a support transverse to said path and parallel to said shaft, tilting members on said support for the elements to be adjusted, said tilting members being in planes parallel to the planes of said code elements, means for moving said support and said tilting members in coordination with the movement of said group of elements, and means for tilting said tilting members when said code elements are alongside of said tilting members and during the movement of said support and said tilting members to thereby adjust said code elements on said shaft.

Rabinow Aug. 25, 1959 Capanna Apr. 11, 1961 

